The Seattle Sounders are among the 92 teams set to compete in the 103rd year of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament, which kicks off on May 11.
MLS clubs join the tournament on June 15, coming into the competition during the fourth round. This year, MLS-affiliated USL teams are not eligible for the competition.
Fifteen of the 17 MLS teams entering in the fourth round will be paired geographically to a specific third-round matchup and scheduled to play the winner, while two other MLS teams will square off against one another for a chance to advance.
This year's winning team will receive $250,000 and a spot in the 2017-18 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
The Sounders will begin their quest for a fifth title in mid-June with home matches being played at Starfire Sports Complex. Ticket information will be released later this year.
Tournament Format, Schedule and Other Key Dates:
Initial Pairings Announcement - April 6
- First Round games as well as Second Round possibilities announced.
First Round - May 11
- Number of Games: 24
- Participants: 48 Open Division teams (14 local qualifiers, 19 PDL sides and 15 NPSL clubs).
- Description: Teams will be paired geographically with the restriction that teams from the same qualifying pool (e.g. local qualifiers, PDL, NPSL, etc.) cannot be paired to play each other.
Second Round - May 18
- Number of Games: 21
- Participants: Winners of 24 First Round games are joined by 18 USL clubs.
- Description: At the time the First Round pairings are made, each USL team will be matched geographically to a specific First Round pairing and be scheduled to play its winner. The remaining First Round matchups not paired with a Division III side will be paired up geographically, with the winners playing each other to complete the round.
Third Round - June 1
- Number of Games: 15
- Participants: Winners of 21 Second Round games are joined by nine NASL sides.
- Description: After each Second Round matchup has been determined, each NASL team will be paired geographically to a specific Second Round matchup and be scheduled to play its winner. The 12 remaining Second Round matchups not paired with a Division II side will be paired up geographically, with the winners playing each other to complete the round.
Fourth Round - June 15
- Number of Games: 16
- Participants: Winners from 15 Third Round games are joined by 17 MLS clubs.
- Description: After each Third Round matchup has been determined, 15 of 17 MLS teams will be paired geographically to a specific Third Round matchup and be scheduled to play these winners, while two MLS teams will face each other to complete the bracket.
Round of 16 Draw - June 16
- The Fourth Round winners will be divided geographically (regardless of league affiliation) into groups of four, with teams who are precluded from playing each other until the Final (see list elsewhere) placed in different groups. A random draw will determine the pairings within each group, resulting in a fixed bracket for the remainder of the tournament. Should a precluded pair of teams reach the Semifinal Round and be scheduled to face each other, the matches will be re-drawn after the quarterfinals to avoid this outcome.
Round of 16 - June 29
- Number of Games: 8
- Fourth Round winners face each other as determined by the Round of 16 Draw.
Quarterfinals - July 20
Semifinals - Aug. 10
Final - Sept. 21
Note: The day following each of the dates listed above is reserved as a make-up date in the event of a weather postponement. Additionally, any game from the Fourth Round until the Semifinals where one of the participants has a league game the following Friday will be moved up a day (exception to this is when the team's opponent is scheduled for a league game the preceding Sunday; in this case, the provisions in the Open Cup Handbook to resolve such an issue prevail). Finally, any game chosen by U.S. Soccer to be broadcast nationally is subject to being moved up a day.
2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Participating Teams
Division I, II and III Professional Teams Eligible to Participate (44 total):
Division I - Major League Soccer (17 teams, entering in the Fourth Round): Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew SC, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City
Division II - North American Soccer League (9 teams, entering in the Third Round): Carolina RailHawks, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Indy Eleven, Jacksonville Armada, Miami FC, Minnesota United FC, New York Cosmos, Rayo OKC, Tampa Bay Rowdies
Division III - United Soccer League (18 teams, entering in the Second Round): Arizona United, Charleston Battery, Charlotte Independence, Colorado Springs Switchbacks, FC Cincinnati, Harrisburg City Islanders, Louisville City FC, Oklahoma City Energy, Orange County Blues, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Richmond Kickers, Rio Grande Valley FC, Rochester Rhinos, Sacramento Republic, Saint Louis FC, San Antonio, Tulsa Roughnecks, Wilmington Hammerheads
Open Division Teams (48 total, all entering in the First Round):
Local Qualifiers (14 places, listed alphabetically by state): California (5): La Maquina, LA Wolves FC, Outbreak FC, San Francisco City Football Club, San Nicolas FC; Colorado (1): Harpo's FC; Florida (1): Boca Raton Football Club; Louisiana (1): CD Motagua of New Orleans; Massachusetts (1): Southie FC; New York (2): Lansdowne Bhoys FC, New York Pancyprian Freedoms; Pennsylvania (1): West Chester United; Texas (1): NTX Rayados; Virginia (1): Aromas Cafe FC
Premier Development League (19 places): Division Winners: Burlingame Dragons (Calif.), Charlotte Eagles (N.C.), Des Moines Menace* (Iowa), FC Tucson* (Ariz.), GPS Portland Phoenix (Maine), Kitsap Pumas* (Wash.), Michigan Bucks, Mississippi Brilla, New York Red Bulls U-23, The Villages SC (Fla.); At-Large Berths previously awarded: Jersey Express* (N.J.), Long Island Rough Riders* (N.Y.), Reading United* (Pa.), Seacoast United Phantoms* (N.H.), Ventura County Fusion* (Calif.); At-Large Berths newly awarded: Albuquerque Sol FC (N.M.), Cincinnati Dutch Lions (Ohio), Portland Timbers U-23, Sounders FC U-23. The PDL is a nationwide league affiliated with the U.S. Adult Soccer Association and opted to use 2015 league results to determine its qualifiers for the 2016 Open Cup.
National Premier Soccer League (15 places): Qualified via 2015 NPSL playoffs: AFC Cleveland (Ohio), CD Aguiluchos USA (Calif.), Chattanooga FC* (Tenn.), Clarkstown SC Eagles (N.Y.), Indiana Fire, Myrtle Beach Mutiny (S.C.), Sacramento Gold (Calif.); At-Large Berths previously awarded: Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves, FC Wichita (Kan.), Fredericksburg FC (Va.), Miami Fusion FC; At-Large Berths newly awarded: Chesterfield United FC (Va.), Corinthians FC of San Antonio (Texas), Detroit City FC, Kraze United (Florida). New York Cosmos B and New York Athletic Club, previously awarded places in the 2016 competition, have withdrawn. The NPSL is a nationwide league affiliated with the U.S. Adult Soccer Association and opted to use 2015 league results to determine its qualifiers for the 2016 Open Cup.
Participated in 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (The Villages SC played as Ocala Stampede)
Teams not eligible to play each other until the Final (result of ownership affiliation or level of control over another squad participating in the tournament):
- Houston Dynamo (MLS), Rio Grande Valley FC (USL)
- New York Red Bulls (MLS), New York Red Bulls U-23 (PDL)
- Portland Timbers (MLS), Portland Timbers U-23 (PDL)
- Seattle Sounders FC (MLS), Sounders FC U-23 (PDL)
In the instances listed above, the lower-division teams are allowed to participate per Section 202(d) of the Open Cup Policy (which limits an organization to fielding its top professional team when owning more than one pro side) because the teams either do not share an ownership affiliation (in the case of Houston and Rio Grande Valley FC) or are not professional teams (in the case of PDL squads).
